MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – Some of the 30,000 expected attendees of the four-day Electric Forest music festival got an early start on things Thursday morning, June 26, police said, as traffic monitoring began much earlier than anticipated.

Michigan State Police Sgt. Doug Roesler said troopers were called in early Thursday morning due to an unexpected, earlier start on traffic flow toward the Double JJ Ranch concert grounds in Rothbury.

"Things are busy already," Roesler said shortly after 7 a.m. on Thursday. "We didn't expect that. We had (Electric Forest-goers) waiting on the highway ramps already. We ended up calling troopers in early this morning."

The fourth annual music-featured event is set to run June 26-29. Tens of thousands of people from throughout the country are expected to attend the festival.

Roesler said the festival traffic flow creeped through fog along north U.S 31 toward the Rothbury and Stony Lake Road exits.

Police are advising those not heading to Electric Forest to stay in the left northbound lanes "and let the traffic flow," Roesler said.

Festival traffic congestion last year was minimal and Roesler said as long as motorists remain patient and follow traffic laws that should be the case this year as well.

Some motorists set out for the festival last night and traffic issues arose then. Traffic flow was slow moving along West Winston Road and South 80th Avenue.

The festival has become an increasingly popular event and attendees come from across the country to attend.